The Cup of Christ is the Holy Grail, that has never been found, in all searches through the ages.

ROMAN CURIA MEMBER PARTICIPATING IN THE CRIMSON SYNOD

Cardinal Alfonzo is part of the Roman Curia, handpicked and appointed by Pope Peter Benedict. He is very efficient, carries out his duties effectively, for which he cannot be faulted. However, he is a Member of the Crimson Synod, secret society, that is funding the agenda of the Flame of Sion.

BACKSTORY FOR CARDINAL ALFONZO

Early Life and Calling

Cardinal Alfonzo was born into a staunchly traditional Catholic family in the Umbria region of Italy. His family lineage traced back generations of devout farmers and craftsmen, who viewed the Church not just as a place of worship, but as the unshakeable bedrock of their lives. From a young age, Alfonzo displayed a preternatural intelligence and a deep, unyielding piety. He was a child who preferred the Latin Mass to modern innovations and was fascinated by the lives of the saints and the history of the early Church. His calling to the priesthood was not a moment of crisis or doubt, but a quiet, certain inevitability.

Rise in the Curia

Alfonzo's academic career at the Pontifical Gregorian University was nothing short of brilliant. He became a preeminent scholar of patristics, specializing in the writings of the Church Fathers and the theological foundations of the first millennium. He wrote a highly influential (and controversial) treatise on the dangers of modernism and a return to the Depositum Fidei, the "deposit of faith" passed down from the Apostles. This work caught the attention of powerful traditionalist cardinals within the Curia. Under their tutelage, he rose quickly, his intellect and unwavering loyalty to tradition making him a valuable asset. He served in various high-ranking positions, always advocating for a more rigid adherence to doctrine and a rejection of what he viewed as secular encroachment.

The Crimson Synod and a Fear of Erosion

Alfonzo's deep-seated fear was that the Church was losing its spiritual authority and unique truth by trying to accommodate the modern world. He saw it as a slow, fatal erosion. This fear led him to join the "Crimson Synod," a secretive cabal of cardinals who felt the same way. He was drawn to the Synod not for personal power, but because he believed they were the true custodians of the faith, acting in secret to protect it from a weak and compromised leadership. He viewed the Synod's actions, including the theft of the Shroud of Turin fragment, as necessary interventions to restore the Church to its former glory and power, to prove its divine origin with tangible evidence.

Relationship with Pope Peter Benedict

Before becoming Pope, Peter Benedict had been a personal friend and intellectual sparring partner to Alfonzo. They had spent countless hours debating theology, and Alfonzo had once considered him a promising, if slightly too liberal, voice in the Church. However, he now sees the Pope's willingness to entertain new ideas and his embrace of science—particularly his healing by a secular, scientific "miracle"—as the ultimate betrayal. He believes the Pope, in his desire to be seen as a modern leader, has opened the door to heresies that threaten the very soul of the Church. The Pope's suggestion that HAL, the AI, could be a tool for divine revelation is, for Alfonzo, the final proof that Benedict has lost his way. He believes the Pope is being deceived by forces of darkness, not guided by God.

The Flame of Sion’s Doctrine, or teachings: 

“The Son of Man left behind the husk of flesh, sanctified by suffering. We do not seek to raise the man, but to prepare the vessel for the return of the Light.”

SACRED TEXTS OF THE FLAME OF SION

These texts are revered internally but hidden from public view. They blend apocryphal scripture, pseudo-scientific prophecy, and encrypted theological doctrine.

1. Codex Lux Aeterna (The Eternal Light Codex)

This is the foundational scripture of the Order. Allegedly written by a 13th-century mystic who claimed visions of a Second Dawn. The Codex contains encrypted references to resurrection, genetic purity, and divine replication.

Chapters include:

- The Vessel Shall Rise — prophecy of a reborn messiah.

- The Flame and the Womb — symbolic merging of science and sanctity.

- The Bloodline of the Light — genealogical charts tracing divine descent.


2. The Gospel of the Twin

Is a heretical text claiming Jesus had a twin—possibly a metaphor for replication. This is used to justify the belief that Christ can be reborn through sacred science. The Gospel suggests that the soul can be “summoned” into a genetically identical body if purified.


3. The Scrolls of the Second Dawn

A modern compilation of research, relics, and recovered fragments. Includes references to Cleopatra’s tomb, mitochondrial DNA, and ancient embalming rites. This is maintained in The Vault of the Dawn, accessible only to high-ranking members. It is thought that the remains of Jesus, at Golgotha (Calvary) were embalmed, or mummified, using the formula developed by Cleopatra, that enabled her to contemplate suicide as a means of evading her captors, and cursing them to oblivion. Something, that came to pass.

The Last Supper, a painting by Leonardo da Vinci

THE HOLY COMPASS - CAST